Jennifer Cox: Adventures in dining outside the box

I’m not a particularly adventurous eater. So when my friends and I ventured to Abbey Burger Bistro in Ocean City — home of many exotic ground meats and unique toppings — my stomach churned.

A list of what I do eat would be far shorter than one of what I don’t. I’ll give you a sample of my “thanks, but no thanks” list: onions, mushrooms, mayonnaise, tomatoes, peppers and every kind of seafood.

These regular omissions to my diet made me the perfect test subject for Abbey Burger’s outlandish concoctions, as I certainly have no prior point of reference for any similar sandwiches. I was to be pushed completely outside of my comfort zone, which, as a mom trying to instill better eating habits in my daughter than I have practiced myself, is a good place for me to be.

As I perused the extensive and exotic menu, the part I feared the least — the meat — proved to be more challenging than I imagined.

Sure, I could be boring and get ground beef, but this trip was meant to push me beyond the ordinary. The options ranged from safe and familiar — bison, chicken and Kobe beef — to terrifying — kangaroo, tuna, camel, etc.

Around the table, my friends aided my experiment, ordering bison, lamb and duck for me to taste. The kitchen staff also obliged, providing me sample burgers of several of the meats.

But meat is only as good as what you put around it. Once we chose our canvases, it was time to decorate them.

The head chef whipped up three of the restaurant’s classics for me: the AJ10 (named after Baltimore Oriole Adam Jones), the Raven and the bison burger. My friends filled in the gaps with a variety of other toppings to sample.

First up was the AJ10. The burger is made of Kobe beef, topped with pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, avocado, chili pepper mayonnaise and various traditional accouterments and loaded onto an English muffin.

I eased in with restraint, using a fork and knife to cautiously pick through the ingredients I wanted — the meat and cheese — and edging away from the others (everything else).

Next up was the Raven, which had a lot going for me: plain old ground beef, pepper jack cheese, bacon and slow-roasted pulled pork, topped with a sweet and tangy Maker’s Mark barbecue sauce. I artfully dodged the jalapeños and fried onion straws, and happily chomped my way through the protein-packed patty.

Last was the bison burger. I love bison, because it is lean and flavorful, especially when attached to the right spices and toppings. This one came with blue cheese (yum) and a massive onion ring on top (yuck).

As friends and observers eyed my surgeon-like precision in eating these burgers, I knew I was failing in my mission. Finally, I branched out and tucked in for a real taste of all that was in front of me.

Honestly, I think the fear was worse than the flavor. Some things worked for me, others didn’t, but I quickly realized my hesitancy was in haste.

My friends chowed down on their burgers happily (the strangest revelation — Cheese Whiz is delicious on burgers!). We all passed around our food, sampling and chatting, enjoying our food as an experience, not just sustenance.

After about three hours, everyone left with full bellies and smiles, but I departed with something even better: a more experienced palette and the resolve to do this again soon.